The English got up in mourning on Friday morning. From dawn, a crowd growing every second gathered in front of Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the English sovereigns, to pay a last tribute to their late queen. It’s time for meditation.
Black dresses London. Long faces, deep sighs, and a few sobs inhabit the square in front of Buckingham Palace. The late queen still sits in the headlines, in bus shelters, in people’s minds. His disappearance probably weighs heavily in the hearts of the English.
A lady, Claire, languishes in front of the heap of flowers and words deposited at the foot of the palace enclosure. An all-black Union Jack floats above the tributes. Claire cannot answer any questions. The mourning made him lose his voice. ” A loss. Gratitude, ”she breathes lip service.
The crowd also murmurs, and in several languages. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II ruled 32 different countries. Seventeen decided to become independent over the 70 years of this last world queen.
Stacey O’Connor is from Australia, but lives in London with her English husband. She also came to lay a wreath of flowers for her late sovereign. “She’s on our currency. It is part of our daily life, she says. Besides, it was nice to have a queen, a woman, in a world of rulers ruled by patriarchy. We have a king now. Just to say it, it’s weird. »
” Weird. People repeat this word as much as they sigh. All here, or almost, have always lived only with Elizabeth II as queen.
“It’s very hard to believe that she really died. That’s why I came here. Is it true that she is dead? “Chris Imafilon struggles to contain his pain for the death of the one he calls” a mother “.
“I had the privilege of meeting her every year. She invited pupils from the interior towns to London. She asked each of them what they wanted to do later. You should have seen the pride of the children when they returned, chests bulging, to their schools. They said: “I can become an engineer, it’s true, the queen told me!” “.
In the midst of these sad faces, the members of the honor guard parade on their horses with all their red and black paraphernalia. Their battle cries break the silent silence. A light rain completes the typically English scene. Media from around the world are capturing the moment.
An old Englishman, also draped in red and decorated with medals, observes the procession. Alan Rutter is one of the residents of Chelsea, a retirement home for retired army personnel. “His death was not surprising, but it is still a shock. It’s very sad. She was an extraordinary queen. We will never see a sovereign like that again, assures the veteran. The queen has done a great job for the UK, but also for Australia, Canada! She held the Commonwealth together. She met ordinary people and made those people feel comfortable. His smile was natural. When she smiled, it was genuine. »
The commemorations of the death of Elizabeth II must continue for ten days.
The new king, Charles III, must address his subjects during the day.
More details to come.
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.